Tesla Charging Station Adapter

[DadzBoyz]

Thank you all, yes, I am looking for an adapter to use at Tesla Super Charger stations while traveling. I know that some Tesla Super Charger stations have magic dock connectors but there are none in my area.

These (Supercharger to CCS adapters) are not available right now. If anyone is trying to sell you one, run. It will not work. Superchargers run checks before charging and have to authenticate the car/adapter to start working. No one has made this yet.

In May, Ford announced an agreement with Tesla to give Ford EV's access to the Supercharger network. Soon after, GM, Rivian, Fiskar, Volvo/Polestar, Mercedes, Nissan, Honda/Acura, and others signed on. Recently, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis cars were spotted doing a media photo session at Tesla
Supercharger, so it looks like they will be signing on soon. VW Group (VW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti) appears to be in talks with Tesla. Toyota has been quiet, so far, as has Stellantis.

Ford said that existing cars, with current J1772/CCS systems (Mach-E, Lightning, E-Transit), will be able to start using Superchargers in Spring 2024 using an adapter that is still in development. The car makers are indicating that their cars will come with Tesla/NACS charging ports starting in 2025/26.

It's not clear if the adapters that will be available in Spring 2024 will have to come from Tesla, if Tesla will work with Ford, GM, etc. to offer their own adapters, or if some other arrangement will be made. We may have gotten a hint about this recently in a video from Tom Moloughney (State of Charge) where he shows a prototype NACS to CCS adapter. IN the article he says:

"Tesla is engineering its own NACS to CCS1 adapter, but there will also be many companies doing the same, and trying to get a piece of this very large electric vehicle adapter market."​

Tom has an article and video on this on InsideEVs.com which c an be found here:

https://insideevs.com/news/689514/tesla-nacs-to-ccs-adapter/​

Note:
Tesla/NACS/J3400 - This stands for "North American Charging Standard". This terminology was created by Tesla when they opened up the current Tesla plug/charging technology for use by non-Tesla cars (2022). The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) is creating a new "standardized" version of NACS called J3400 (engineers and their clever naming schemes...<eye roll>). It will use the same plug/pin layout and is designed to work and play well with Tesla chargers (Destination, Superchargers, etc.). A number of charge equipment companies have also announced that they will offer these plus as well. These include Autel, Blink, ChargePoint, Electrify America, FLO, FreeWire/Boost and more.

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[kbough78]

There are a number of these on Amazon.
Most of them are from companies who's names are unrecognizable, haven't been around very long, probably change their names frequently, and/or may sell the same item under multiple names. Just look closely. Many of the adapters listed are the same item with a different name/brand on them.
Additionally, most do not have the option of locking the adapter to your car. Why would you want this. Well.... people will steal anything, regardless of dollar value or personal value. Without the ability to lock the adapter, it can be borrowed or stolen.
- Use Case 1 - The Borrower:

You plug in and use your adapter at a Tesla Destination Charger at the mall, a hotel, a restaurant, a park, etc. and walk away. You come back to your car and some joker in another non-Tesla car has unplugged your car and is using your adapter on theirs. Maybe they know that it's your adapter and don't care, or maybe they just bought their car 4 days ago and know little or anything about public charging and they think that 1) It's OK to unplug someone else's car and, 2) they think that your adapter is just part of the charger and use it for themselves.​

- Use Case 2 - "Bye Bye Bye":

Another a$$ clown decides they want, need, or it would be fun to unplug your car and steal your adapter. They may not even have an EV or even know what it is, but they know they can sell it online and make a few bucks.​

I'm sure that some others here may have done more research, but I did a good bit of my own. That said, I narrowed my choices down to a TeslaTap adapter or a Lectron adapter.

TeslaTap Adapters - These are great. They're lockable, the Mini is very small and easy to store anywhere in the car, and they sell models made in the U.S. (more expensive) and imported. TeslaTap offers 60 AMP and 80 AMP models. The Mach-E Level 1/2 J1772 port can can only accept up to 48 AMPS. That said, I think you're paying for power that you won't use.
> Imported 60 AMP TeslaTap Mini - $169.95 (Amazon)
> U.S. Made 60 AMP TeslaTap Mini - $259.95
> U.S. Made 80 AMP TeslaTap Mini - $299.95

​

[Unable to find any information showing that TeslaTap adapters are UL listed.]​

https://www.umc-j1772.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=17​

Lectron Adapters - Probably the largest, most established company in the space. They're lockable, less expensive than the TeslaTap, and are UL listed. They are larger than the TeslaTap Mini, but the 48 AMP adapter is still small and easily stored.
> 40 AMP Adapter (larger) - $131.99 (5% off on first purchase)
> 48 AMP Adapter (smaller) - $139.99 (5% off on first purchase)

https://ev-lectron.com/collections/ev-adapters​

I bought the Lectron 48 AMP adapter. I also purchased a lock that fits the locking mechanism (tried several) that can be opened with a combination or a key and a case to put the adapter and lock in.
Lock:
https://a.co/d/922rC79

Case (actually a large pencil case):
https://a.co/d/3skHrcz

I hope this is helpful. Good luck!

This was extremely helpful and thorough. Thank you for taking the time to contribute.

 

[kbough78]

These (Supercharger to CCS adapters) are not available right now. If anyone is trying to sell you one, run. It will not work. Superchargers run checks before charging and have to authenticate the car/adapter to start working. No one has made this yet.

In May, Ford announced an agreement with Tesla to give Ford EV's access to the Supercharger network. Soon after, GM, Rivian, Fiskar, Volvo/Polestar, Mercedes, Nissan, Honda/Acura, and others signed on. Recently, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis cars were spotted doing a media photo session at Tesla
Supercharger, so it looks like they will be signing on soon. VW Group (VW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti) appears to be in talks with Tesla. Toyota has been quiet, so far, as has Stellantis.

Ford said that existing cars, with current J1772/CCS systems (Mach-E, Lightning, E-Transit), will be able to start using Superchargers in Spring 2024 using an adapter that is still in development. The car makers are indicating that their cars will come with Tesla/NACS charging ports starting in 2025/26.

It's not clear if the adapters that will be available in Spring 2024 will have to come from Tesla, if Tesla will work with Ford, GM, etc. to offer their own adapters, or if some other arrangement will be made. We may have gotten a hint about this recently in a video from Tom Moloughney (State of Charge) where he shows a prototype NACS to CCS adapter. IN the article he says:

"Tesla is engineering its own NACS to CCS1 adapter, but there will also be many companies doing the same, and trying to get a piece of this very large electric vehicle adapter market."​

Tom has an article and video on this on InsideEVs.com which c an be found here:

https://insideevs.com/news/689514/tesla-nacs-to-ccs-adapter/​

Note:
Tesla/NACS/J3400 - This stands for "North American Charging Standard". This terminology was created by Tesla when they opened up the current Tesla plug/charging technology for use by non-Tesla cars (2022). The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) is creating a new "standardized" version of NACS called J3400 (engineers and their clever naming schemes...<eye roll>). It will use the same plug/pin layout and is designed to work and play well with Tesla chargers (Destination, Superchargers, etc.). A number of charge equipment companies have also announced that they will offer these plus as well. These include Autel, Blink, ChargePoint, Electrify America, FLO, FreeWire/Boost and more.

Thank you for this information. It has been very helpful. I suppose I will just need to be patient and prepared when traveling. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[oadesign]

Ditto on thank you for doing the legwork on this! I haven't needed a Tesla destination adapter until now, so your detailed summary on avoiding the "Wild, Wild West" crop of no-name adapters is greatly appreciated! My Lectron is on its way!

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